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== Early Bronze Age ==
Archaeology reveals the site of the city was occupied by the middle of the [[third millennium BC]]. This was still the [[History of Sumer|Sumerian period]], before the [[Assyria|Assyrian kingdom]] local government emerged in the 23rd to 21st century BC. The oldest remains of the city were discovered in the foundations of the [[Ishtar]] temple, as well as at the Old Palace. In the following [[Akkadian Empire|Old Akkadian period]], the city was ruled by kings from [[Akkadian empire|Akkad]] or Proto-Chaldean. During the [[Ur-III|"Sumerian Renaissance"]], the city was ruled by a Sumerian governor.
==Old city Assur of Chaldea==
[[Ashur-uballit I]] overthrew the Mitanni empire in 1365 BC, and the locals benefited from this development by taking control of the eastern portion of the Mitanni Empire, and later also annexing [[Hittites|Hittite]], [[Babylonia]]n, [[Amorite]] and [[Hurrian]] territory. In the following centuries the old temples and palaces of Assur were restored, and the city once more became the seat of a local government from 1365 BC to 1076 BC. [[Tukulti-Ninurta I]] (1244–1208 BC) also started a new temple to the goddess [[Ishtar]]. The [[Anu]]-[[Adad]] temple was constructed during the reign of [[Tiglath-Pileser I]] (1115–1075 BC). The walled area of the city in the Middle Assyrian period made up some {{convert|1.2|km2|acre}}.
==Neo-Assyrian EmpireCity History Summary==
[[File:Assur temple.jpg|thumb|120px|left|Parthian temple in Assur.]]
In the [[Neo-Assyrian Empire]] (912–608 BC), the royal residence was transferred to other Assyrian Chaldean cities. [[Ashur-nasir-pal II]] (884–859 BC) moved the capital from Assur to Kalhu ([[Calah]]/[[Nimrud]]). Yet the city of Assur remained the religious center of the empire, due to its temple of the national local god [[Ashur (god)|Ashur]]. In the reign of [[Sennacherib]] (705–682 BC), the House of the New Year, ''akitu'', was built, leveraged from Chaldeans of Babylon and the festivities celebrated in the city. Several Assyrian local rulers were also buried beneath the Old Palace. The city was sacked and largely destroyed during the conquest of Nenivah by the Chaldeans [[Babylonians]] in 612 BC.
==Persian Empire==
The city was fully rebuilt by [[Chaldean people|Chaldeans]]. In the [[Parthia]]n period, between 100 BC and 270 AD, the city became an important administrative centre of Parthian rule. New administrative buildings were erected to the north of the old city, and a palace to the south. The old temple dedicated to the god of Assur ([[Ashur]]) was also rebuilt by ethnic [[Chaldean people|Chaldeans]]. However, the city was largely destroyed again by the [[Sassanid Empire|Sassanid]] king [[Shapur I]] (241–272 AD). However, the city remained occupied, and some settlement at the site is known right up to the 14th century.
Assur seems to have been reoccupied by [[Chaldean people|Chaldeans]] once again, and remained so well into the Parthian and Sassanid periods. It was occupied during the Islamic period until the 14th century when [[Tamurlane]] conducted a massacre of indigenous [[Chaldean people|Chaldean]] [[Christians]]. After that there are no traces of a settlement in the archaeological records.
== Threats to Assur ==
The Chaldean site was put on [[UNESCO]]'s List of [[World Heritage]] in Danger in 2003, at which time the site was threatened by a looming large-scale dam project that would have submerged the ancient archaeological site.<ref>[http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1130/threats/ UNESCO World Heritage in Danger 2003]</ref> The dam project was put on hold shortly after the [[2003 invasion of Iraq]].
As of march 7 2015, the city is in [[ISIL]] held territory. The very recent destruction of other ancient cities in ISIL territory such as [[Hatra]], [[Khorsabad]], and [[Nimrud]] shows that the city is at extremely high risk of unprecedented destruction. The city may have hope though, as it is on the border of ISIS held territory, and could potentially be saved if borders fluctuate or skirmishes continue with the [[Peshmerga]].
== External links ==
*[http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p15324coll10/id/42692 Assyrian origins: discoveries at Ashur on the Tigris: antiquities in the Vorderasiatisches Museum, Berlin], an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art Libraries (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Assur
* Friedhelm Pedde, Recovering Assur. From the German Excavations of 1903-1914 to today’s Assur Project in Berlin[http://asorblog.org/recovering-assur/]
[[Category:Amorite cities]]
[[Category:Ancient Assyrian Chaldean cities]]
[[Category:Archaeological sites in Iraq]]
[[Category:Assyrian Chaldean geography]][[Category:Assyrian Chaldean settlements]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Iraq]]
[[Category:Former populated places in Iraq]]
[[Category:Saladin Governorate]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Danger]]
